Articles About Trade Cards
 
Series Trade Cards

 

by Ben Crane

 

Series trade cards are a set of cards that tell a story, usually comic, through their images and captions. The cards are usually also numbered to help the viewer progress through the story. Series are found having as few as 2 cards and as many as 10, but 3 to 5 cards seem to be the norm.

It is the author's belief that series trade cards were the forerunners of and the inspiration for the comic strip, the creation of which has been attributed to Richard Outcault for his Yellow Kid which first appeared in the New York Sunday World newspaper in February, 1896. This is about the time when using color in newspapers became economically feasible, causing the decline in advertising with trade cards which until then were the only cost effective way of using color in mass printing.

Shown below are thumbnail images of 32 series made from 149 cards. Click on a thumbnail for a larger view, or click here to begin viewing the cards in slide show fashion.
 
1. Our Toy Soldiers, Copyright 1882 Sammis & Latham.

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2. First Night Out, Copyright 1882 By E. B. Duval.

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3. Result Of Not Using The Gt. A. And P. Teas & Coffees, Copyright 1883

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4. A Policeman's Day, Copyrighted By Robert Hoyt 1882

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5. Copyright By The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. N.Y.

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6. Married Man, Copyrighted 1882 by Grant & Brown

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7. Boy Trying Cigar, Chicago Picture Co.

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8. Christmas Day, Union Pacific Tea Company

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9. Father & Son

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10. Father Of Quintuplets, Copyright 1882, John McGreer, Chicago

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11. Grandfather Of Quintuplets, Copyright 1882, John McGreer, Chicago

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12. Soapine Sign Painter

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13. Father Of Quadruplets, Copyright 1882 By A. M. Smith

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14. Country Storekeeper Orders Cigars, Copyright 1882 By Geo. M. Hayes

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15. Brownies With Giant Cigar

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16. The Fireman, Entered 1881 By Cosack & Clarke Into Library Of Congress

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17. Fritz Spindle-Shanks, The Raven Black

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18. Our New Coachman, Copyrighted 1884 By J. H. Bufford's Sons

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19. Our New Citizens, Irish, Copyright 1882 By Geo. Topp

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20. Our New Citizens, German, Copyright 1882 By Geo. Topp

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21. The Chinese Question, Our New Waiter, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.

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22. Watermelon Patch, Copyright 1884 By Krebs Litho. Co. Cincinnati

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23. Weekly Use Of Higgins' Soap, Forbes Co. Boston

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24. A Masher's Tale, Chicago Picture Co.

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25. New Father

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26. Daddy's Baby, Copyright 1885 By Daddy Pub. Co.

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27. Contested Confession, Copyright 1882 By Sammis & Latham

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28. Serenader, Piper-Heidsieck Tobacco, Shober & Carqueville Litho. Co.

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29. Pool Players, Clarence Brooks Varnishes, Copyright 1888 By Currier & Ives

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30. Draw Poker, Clarence Brooks Varnishes, Copyright 1888 By Currier & Ives

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31. Abe Johnson's Pic'nic, Vane-Calvert Paint Co.

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32. Going To Camp Meeting, M. F. Tobin Copyright N.Y. 1882

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